PRESS BOX: IN BRIEF

In Brief

January 09, 2010

*COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl dismissed forward Tyler Smith from the team on Friday, a week after his arrest with three other players on misdemeanor gun and drug charges. Pearl had indefinitely suspended Smith, guard Cameron Tatum, center Brian Williams and point guard Melvin Goins following the Jan. 1 arrest. The other three players will continue to serve their suspensions Sunday when No. 16 Tennessee plays host to No. 1 Kansas. ... Detroit (11-5, 4-1 Horizon League) used a late 14-2 run to overcome Cory Johnson's 31 points and beat visiting Valparaiso 77-67. Johnson hit 10 of 16 shots, including all three 3-pointers, and was 8 of 10 from the line to pace the Crusaders (6-10, 1-3).

*TENNIS: Sixth-ranked Nikolav Davydenko upset top-ranked Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 in a Qatar Open semifinal in Doha .... Andy Roddick won't play Davis Cup in 2010, hoping to avoid more knee problems by cutting down on the number of times he changes court surfaces. ... Top-seeded Kim Clijsters set up a highly anticipated all-Belgian final against seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Andrea Petkovic at the Brisbane, Australia, International.

*SOCCER: Gunmen in an area plagued by separatist violence used machine guns to open fire on a bus carrying Togo's national soccer team to a tournament in Angola, killing the driver and wounding at least nine people, including two players. Some players said they wanted to pull out of the African Cup of Nations tournament following the violence, but an official in Angola said it would go ahead as planned. ... The Fire is expected to introduce former El Salvador coach Carlos de los Cobos as the fifth coach in franchise history Monday. While the Fire has been tight-lipped about the search, de los Cobos told the Mexican newspaper Record that he expected to reach an agreement soon.

*GOLF: U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover had another big stretch of birdies on his way to an 8-under 65 that gave him the lowest 36-hole score at Kapalua, Hawaii, in five years and a three-shot lead in the SBS Championship. Glover was losing ground until a two-putt birdie on the fifth hole, the start of a six-hole stretch that he played in 6 under. He needed all those birdies -- along with one eagle -- to keep ahead of the field. ... Tiger Woods is four majors behind the record set by Jack Nicklaus going into a year in which three majors will be held on Woods' favorite courses -- Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. "If Tiger is going to pass my record, this is a big year for him in that regard," Nicklaus said.

*WINTER SPORTS: Lindsey Vonn won her third straight World Cup downhill at Haus Im Ennstal, Austria, and regained the lead in the overall standings from Maria Riesch. ... Former World Cup slalom champion Giorgio Rocca pulled a muscle in training and may miss the Vancouver Olympics. ... World figure skating silver medalist Patrick Chan has split with coach Don Laws on the eve of the Canadian championships and a month before the Olympics.